Stronger
by laraneci
Summary: keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer :


Hermione was certainly getting tired of having to watch Harry and Ginny together. They were everywhere she went, when she went to find classrooms to practice her charms she had once accidentally walked in on them together. She was sick to death to be the only one with out a boyfriend. Nearly everyone was a couple, Harry and Ginny, Ron and Lavender, Luna and Neville. She felt left out from the group and it reminded her of when she first started at Hogwarts, when she had no friends. She would see Harry and Ron passing in the corridor laughing together wishing they would be friends.  
One rainy Saturday Hermione found herself talking her usual walk to the library; she found her usual table, sat herself down and pulled out her herbology essay. It took her thirty minutes to finished her 2 rolls of parchment on soils and plant habitation, she was about to put her stuff away when Draco Malfoy sat opposite her.  
"What do you want"? Hermione demanded.  
"Cant a guy say hello to someone" Malfoy smirked.  
"No you cant because we hate each other, remember" Hermione said. She packed her things in her bag but put it back on the floor. Malfoy was looking at her. Not in that loathing way he had done for the past 6 years but a warm look, something that filled her heart to the brim.  
"That's not true" he said  
"Then why have you been calling me mud blood for the past 6 years"? Hermione asked. Draco didn't answer but instead he looked down at the table. He seemed to be finding something to say to her but then-  
"I'm sorry"  
"What"?  
"I'm sorry, you know, for what I called you and things" He explained. He looked rather embarrassed at these words.  
Hermione was in a state of shock. Draco sorry? There must be a catch to this she thought. Hermione caught her breath back and said  
"Well thanks, I suppose I should apologise as well"  
"For what"? Draco asked curiously  
"I punched you in the face in our third year and I guess I'm sorry" Hermione found it rather hard to say the last part but Draco laughed  
"Oh yeah I forgot about that, I guess we weren't the best of friends" He smiled  
"No we weren't" Hermione said quietly. "Why are you being so nice to me"?  
Draco struggled to find the right words again at this  
"Well I was thinking" He said. "What's the point of hiding it any more?"  
Hermione could tell what might come next but she was unsure  
"Hide what"? She asked  
"That……that…I…I love you" It had all come so sudden Hermione thought she might have been dreaming, but even when she secretly pinched her leg under the table she found out this was only the beginning. Draco and Hermione had only been talking for about 5 minutes and Draco had just burst out that he loved her. Hermione was still confused about why he had been mean to her for 6 years and not said anything earlier. The advantage of this was that Hermione finally had a boyfriend; the disadvantage was that her boyfriend was sworn enemies with Harry and Ron.

2 months had past since Hermione and Draco's talk in the library and it had been the best months of her Life. She and Draco had to meet in secret of course, mostly the Astronomy tower, or the room and requirement. Harry and Ron hadn't noticed her frequent absences or her and Draco's looks across classrooms and corridors when ever they past each other. Hermione thought that Draco and she could probably kiss in front of Harry and Ron and they wouldn't notice, but they didn't risk it. Draco had to keep it from his friends as well and most of all Pansy Parkinson. Draco had announced it was over in the middle of breakfast one morning leaving the Great hall in fits of laughter when Pansy stormed out of the hall. In classes Hermione had created this amazing way for them to contact each other. She had charmed two pieces of paper so when they write on them it appears on the other piece of paper at the same time. Draco awarded Hermione with another kiss for this, which Hermione deeply blushed at.  
Hermione entered the Great Hall automatically looking over at the slytherin table immediately spotting Draco, who smiled at her, which Hermione returned with a smile as well. She sat down next to Harry at the Gryffindor table with a clear view of Draco.  
"Hi Harry" she said without taking her eyes off Draco.  
"Oh hey Hermione" He said  
"Where's Ginny"? Hermione asked finally taking her eyes off Draco and looking up and down the table  
"She's in the library, we've spent so much time together she forgot some homework" Harry replied pouring pumpkin juice into his goblet and taking a sip. "And Ron is in the Hospital wing-"  
"What"! Hermione cried. "One of my best friends is in the hospital wing and no one bothered to tell me."  
"I thought we told you" Harry said  
"Harry we have barley talked to each other for 3 months, this is out first proper conversation in ages". Harry looked puzzled obviously he had no idea what she was talking about.  
"Why"? He said  
"Because" Hermione snapped. "You've been to busy with Ginny to think about your best friend".  
"Who? Ron?"  
"Me, I'm also your best friend" Hermione cried "I bet you wouldn't have even noticed if I died. For god's sake Harry we are suppose to be best friends but now it's like I don't even exist anymore."  
"What are you talking about Hermione"? Harry asked  
"Harry we haven't talking since November and its now January".  
"I do have a life you know Hermione" Harry snapped  
"Well like it or not Harry I'm part of your life" Hermione retorted  
"Well maybe you should get out of my life". Harry shouted. Hermione opened her mouth to say something but she couldn't, only tears ran down her cheeks, as Harry glared at her. What had she done wrong? Finally she got up from the table  
"Well maybe I will" She said to him and with that she turned on her heel and walked out from the hall. She looked over to the slytherin table, Draco nodded at her and got up as well and followed her out. They both ran to the room of the requirement. They walked past it three times, thinking we need a place to be alone together and a door appeared and they shut them selves in.

Hermione sobbed in to Draco's robes as he held her close and stroked her hair. Hermione explained to him through tears about her and Harry's conversation.  
"The git" Draco said once Hermione had finished. Draco led her over to the sofa in the room of requirement and sat next to her. He held her close and wiped her tears with his finger. Hermione felt that Draco seemed to be the only person who really knew her, who really cared for her at Hogwarts and as she cried on his shoulder she knew she had made the right choice back in the library. Draco kissed her forehead and said "Maybe I could punch him would that make you feel better." Hermione laughed at this but then felt a bit sickened. Even though they weren't friends it was still horrible to think about someone punching Harry  
"No don't, that would just make it worse" She told him.  
"Don't worry I was just joking" He said.  
"But why is Harry being so nasty about this"? Hermione sniffed. "I haven't even done anything to him." When Hermione and Draco left the room of requirement Draco kissed her goodbye  
"Maybe tomorrow we should start seeing each other" He said. "In public, now that you and Harry aren't friends". Hermione thought about this. What will Harry and Ron think? Wait a second I don't have to care what they think they don't like me any more. But what about the rest of the school? A Gryffindor seeing a Slytherin. It's never happened before.  
"Yeah" She said. "Yeah will start tomorrow"  
Draco smiled "excellent" He said and kissed her again. "See you tomorrow". Hermione waved him goodbye and set off for the Gryffindor common room. In ten minutes Hermione climbed through the portrait hole to find only Ron –a sling around his arm- and Harry the only people in the common room. There was a moments silence then Hermione looked away and made her way to the girl's dormitory. When she reached the stairs she looked back, with tears running down her cheeks again, Harry and Ron stared at her. They all new then the Trio was no more.

Hermione had not gotten any sleep last night; she was too worried about the following day and how so many things could go wrong. She was also concerned about Harry and Ron. How would they take this? Hermione dread to think it. In the morning Hermione woke up and pulled on her clothes and trudged down to the Great hall. She was about to enter when someone pulled her aside and into a classroom. Draco shut the door and turned to her.  
"This is it then" He breathed taking Hermione's hand and lacing his fingers in to hers. "Are you ready"?  
"Let's do this" Hermione said and she pulled open the door. As soon as they stepped out from the classroom gasps echoed around the entrance hall from students entering the Great Hall. Whispers could be heard all around them.  
"Is that Hermione and Draco"?  
"Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger"?  
"That's just not right".  
Draco ignored all of the whispers and waved at people he knew. Just then Harry and Ron came down the great stairs trying to see what everyone was looking at. Harry spotted it first with his mouth open he showed Ron and his jaw dropped. Hermione looked up at them. She wanted them to see that she didn't need them unless they were prepared to accept her, as she was. A lot of people had come out from the Great Hall now to see what the commotion was and so had Professor McGonagall and Snape.  
"Alright students back into the Great Hall now. You are blocking the door way" Professor McGonagall said. "What's going on out here" She looked around and spotted Draco and Hermione.  
"Oh" she gasped. She clapped her hands together. "I always knew you two would make a lovely couple". She looked like she was about to cry, she went up to Hermione and hugged her. Hermione looked rather awkward and was glad when McGonagall let go.  
"Don't you think they look sweet together"? McGonagall asked Snape.  
"I'll have to pass on that one Professor; Draco is too good for Miss Granger over here" He sneered at Hermione. Draco didn't say anything but shot snape a filthy look. Snape and McGonagall returned to the Great Hall and Draco and Hermione were left to talk.  
"Well that went better than I had expected" Draco said relived.  
"I know I was rather scared about this" Hermione said. "I think there will be about a week of whispering but we can handle it-"  
"I don't think we can"  
Draco and Hermione turned to see Harry and Ron behind them.  
"I'm not aloud to talk to you Harry" Hermione said coldly. "I'm not a part of life, remember".  
Harry ignored this and carried on talking.  
"I can't believe after all Malfoy has done to you, you still want to go out with him" He said.  
"He cares about me, unlike you too". Hermione gestured to Ron and Harry. "You were so busy with your girlfriends you forgot to talk to me for 3 whole months." Harry and Ron started shamefully at the ground shuffling there feet; they didn't say anything so Hermione carried on.  
"We've been best friends for 6 years and I've done so much for you, checked your essays, helped with quidditch, helped you to get over deaths, The DA and this is how you repay me. And don't think for one second that you're going to ruin the best thing that's happened to me since Viktor Krum. I was sick of seeing everyone together as couples and I was left on my own like in our first year when we weren't friends-"  
"-Hermione we-"  
"-No Ron listen to me for once, finally something that I've always wanted has happen and if you cant accept that then….then I guess we cant be friends". She took Draco's hand and was about to turn away but Ron put a hand on her shoulder.  
"Hermione we want to let you know that we are here for you" He said  
"We are so sorry for not talking to you, we were so busy we didn't see how selfish we were being" said Harry. "And we want you to know we'll do anything to, even make friends with Draco, to be your friends again." Hermione smiled and hugged them both.  
"Thank you" She said. "You don't know how much this means to me". And when Hermione knew when Harry and Ron shook hands with Draco that she really had made the right choice in the Library, She knew that the 3 people that cared about her most at Hogwarts where standing in front of her, laughing at old times and think about the new, She knew Harry and Ron were her best friends and nothing, even Draco, could separate them now. Now that they were stronger.

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Just a one chapter story really. i wrote it ages ago. it was like my first ever fanfiction and i have just remembered i still have it  
so i might aswell put it up here:)

REVIEW PLEASE. thank you:)

peace&love. emma xxxx


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